Nigel Farage issues stark warning about Andy Burnham’s future | Politics | News
Andy Burnham will only have a โ48 hour honeymoonโ if he becomes Prime Minister, Nigel Farage has warned. The Greater Manchester Mayor is poised to make a dramatic Westminster comeback if he wins Thursday’s crunch Makerfield by-election.
He is then expected to make a move to oust Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader. But Mr Farage said the so-called โKing of the Northโ wonโt have much time to settle into No 10. He warned that bitter party infighting over welfare, taxes and Peter Mandelson, plus fears surrounding Mr Burnhamโs impact on the economy will make life extremely difficult for him.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Expresso, Mr Farage said: โOh, popular Andy Burnham. Why is he popular?
โBecause he’s a mayor, and mayors are a civic job more than they’re a political job. Boris Johnson was enormously popular, cutting ribbons, spending public money, all of that.
โI think the Burnham honeymoon will last for 48 hours. There isn’t going to be one and there are large areas like Defence which we just have no idea what he thinks.
โAnd I suspect that he has no idea what he thinks.
โSo it wonโt last long, he will find it incredibly difficult and you’re beginning to watch the fragmentation of Labour, and that party is ungovernable, isn’t it?โ
Mr Burnham is the bookies favourite to win the Makerfield seat, ahead of Reform UKโs Robert Kenyon.
If successful, he is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir for the leadership in a contest that could tear the party apart.
Prime Ministerโs typically get a honeymoon period when moving into No 10, often riding on the crest of wave after a general election victory.
That wasnโt the case for Gordon Brown, who took over from Tony Blair in a Coronation in 2007.
Mr Burnhamโs former boss saw his relative popularity rapidly diminish after changing his mind over holding a general election and his handling of the 10p tax rate cut in 2008.
Sir Keirโs own honeymoon period lasted just a few weeks following the decision to snatch winter fuel payments away from 10 million pensioners.
